


I'm a nightmare, dressed as a day dream

by Come_C_Come_Ca



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 15:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14979755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Come_C_Come_Ca/pseuds/Come_C_Come_Ca
Summary: Allura felt silent, along with the others. She had always been aware of the great power this planet possessed. After all, there had to have been a reason for her father’s almost fearful relationship with them. And one thing was a planet having infinite power. In that case, it would take most of the people wishing it, for something to happen. But one person being able to utilize that power? That was much more dangerous.“Here we are.” Acceiil stopped at the foot of the palace. “I cannot go further. Go forward, and you should find a guide waiting for you. Goodbye, it was truly an honor to meet you.”Allura turned around, to ask why Acceiil could not follow the paladins, only to find that the snakelike creature was already gone. She turned to the paladins.





	1. i

Allura didn’t remember much about the planet they were visiting. Only that it was rich on resources and had a history of no inter-planetary war. Coran had commented on the planet briefly, saying that Alfor had made sure to always be in good standing with this planet. Getting them to join the Voltron alliance was top priority.

All around her were floating orbs of light, and occasionally some colored gemstones. It gave the entire planet a very ethereal atmosphere, which the inhabitants only added onto. Allura had no way to describe them. They were winged creatures of varying sizes. The biggest of them were almost her size, whereas the smallest ones were barely a speck of light. They all looked different. Some had legs and arms like vines of plants, with faces of flowers. Others were what she knew from the paladins as ‘mermaids’ with fishtails and faces of a human. As one flew by her, Allura noticed the deadly sharp fangs and shuttered. Others had legs like horses, some had faces like frogs. It was a whirlwind of biodiversity.

One creature slid towards them, snake-like tail swirling beneath their chest. A chest seeming almost humanoid, with grey scales scattered amongst the skin. Something Allura assumed would be considered hair, although it mostly resembled seaweed, hung in long strands down to the ground where it dragged along with the tail. Like all the planet’s creatures, wings sprung from their back. In this case, glowing wings. Sickly green and paper thin they fluttered like fabric in the wind. The creature smiled.

“Welcome to Ak’nul’vit,” they said, “My name is Acceiil, and I was sent here by the Empress to welcome you. Alteans and humans alike.” They bowed their head slightly.

“Empress?” Coran said, voice full of surprise. “I know it is long since I visited here last, but I don’t recall you having an empress back then.”

Acceiil smiled.

“We did not.” They started to walk. “I will tell you how the Empress came to be while we walk.”

“As you can see,” Acceiil gestured around them, “we are a planet of light. Orbs and gemstones grow like plants in the ground. When they are ready, they float up in the atmosphere, full of light.” Allura looked up, and was met with an ocean of light. Different colors swam in and out of each other like water. It was immensely beautiful. She looked away, only when her eyes began to hurt from the light.

“But long ago, 10 gemstones were planted. One for each a quality looked for in a land and its ruler. Strength, Unity, Compassion, Power, Fertility, Beauty, Joy, Defense, Hope and Peace. They lay in the ground glowing but never floating. It was said that they would only come up for the rightful ruler, whom they would summon the moment they were born.”

“The moment they were born?” Lance raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a bit weird to have a baby rule an entire country?”

“When we say born here on Ak’nul’vit, we don’t mean in the physical shape,” Acceiil explained, “we mean in the spiritual sense. When one matures, so to say. Mostly it happens through coming to an understanding with destiny and the universe, but sometimes it can happen through great hardship. I assume that is the way you were born?” They looked at the paladins.

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked, “How can you tell if we are, uh, _born_?”

“It’s in your aura.” Acceiil stopped and placed a hand on Shiro’s chest. “Like a glowing light. I understand humans cannot see them? What about Alteans? You can’t see them either?” She turned to Allura and Coran.

“No, we cannot.” Coran confirmed. “Maybe your eyes have a special sensitivity towards light? It would be plausible considering the state of your planet. To be surrounded by light in this way all your life might cause an altering of the eyes? Or maybe it’s in your DNA?”

“It may be either one or both,” Acceiil said starting to walk again. “Until very recently I wasn’t even aware that other species could not see them. We always assumed… In retrospect, it makes some of our former actions seem foolish. Childish, if you will. Jumping to conclusions…” They trailed off. “Anywho, you are not here to hear about failures in Ak’nul’vit’s past.” They smiled at them.

“It’s pretty interesting though.” Lance said. He stepped a little bit closer to Acceiil with a smirk. “Do you maybe want to tell more about it later? In private perhaps?” Allura almost smacked her head in frustration. Could that boy not go two minutes without flirting? Beside her, she felt Keith cross his arms and start to scowl.

It resolved easily, however, when Acceiil let out a bright laughter.

“Your interest is very flattering, Blue Paladin.” They smiled, which looked a little ominous with their teeth sticking out in odd angles. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid you will find your efforts fruitless here. Most inhabitants of our planet don’t experience attraction in the way you humans do. Neither sexual nor romantic. There are exceptions of course but they are few and far in between.”

“Had to try,” Lance said with a smile on his face and shrugged.

They neared the city limits. Before them lay a great, wide field. It was oddly dark compared to the city. The orbs didn’t float near the ground, or in its proximity. Allura had to blink several times to adjust her eyes to the dim lighting. When they did, she could see that trees of some sort grew sparsely on the field. They were oddly shaped, and there seemed to be no pattern in their growth. Moreover, the ground was covered with flowers of every color imaginable.

“What kind of trees are these?” Pidge asked as she went to put a hand on one of them, “I’ve never seen anything like…”

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” Acceiil screamed and launched towards Pidge. Pidge drew her hand back, as if it had been burned. Acceiil stared in what could only be described as horror at the tree. They only let go of their breath several minutes later. Everyone turned to Acceiil, looking for an answer.

“I apologize, paladins,” Acceiil said, nervously toying with their hair, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s quite alright,” Allura said, “but we would like an explanation as to why you reacted so strongly. Are the trees poisonous?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then pray, do tell?”

“I know you earthlings are conceived from a bodily union between two people of opposite sexes. The female carries the child inside their body and then – correct me if I am wrong – the child forcefully ejects themselves from the body? In a process that is often very painful?” Acceiil looked towards the paladins.

“Yeah, I mean pretty much.”

“It’s the same for Alteans?” Pidge turned to Allura for an answer. She frowned.

“Roughly, yes,” Allura said. “Although, both men and women on Altea can bear children, not just the women. It is most common for women to bear children, but a man carrying a child is not unheard of.” She turned to Acceiil. “I still do not see what this have to do with the trees?”

Acceiil looked somewhat horrified.

“I still can’t believe it. I heard it once before but… It is quite unbelievable. Humans are truly a species of great duality.” They chuckled gently. “When someone is ready to have a child, they go here – The Field of Life.” They gestured around to the trees. “They touch the trees, and a seed drops from their crowns. The parent will take the seed home and plant it. If cared for properly, the seed will sprout into a child. The children are harvested in the Season of Flowers, when they bloom, along with our planet’s flora.”

“That is…” Allura turned her brain upside down for a fitting word. “Quite interesting. How does this account for population growth? If I remember correctly you have a rather long lifespan?”

“Having a child is a rarity,” Acceiil explained. “Most seeds die before they can sprout. It is a trial for the parent or parents. Many who think they are ready for a child in their younger years go here, only to kill the seed of their child. Some of them come back later in life, but most of them accept that they are not meant to have children. And the idea of parenting multiple children as you do on earth is completely unthinkable to us.”

The paladins all looked to Allura. Their faces displayed various emotions. Allura herself felt a sadness looming over her. When she was younger she had never wanted children. She had never expected it to be an impossibility.

“Let’s continue to walk, shall we? The castle is on the other side of this field.” Acceiil turned to them. “And don’t touch the trees.”

Coran took it upon himself to walk next to Acceiil. Allura fell behind. She found herself walking next to Keith. She turned to look at him and saw her own doubts reflected in his eyes. She was beginning to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. There was something off about the way children were born on Ak’nul’vit. The cold way Acceiil talked about the death of the seeds and the undoubted heartbreak it was for the parents to be, that left her feeling anxious. She felt Keith lean in close to her.

“Don’t you think,” he whispered, “that it’s a little weird how much they know about humans, considering how presumably no human has ever been on this planet?” He raised an eyebrow. “I mean, it’s too far away from earth.”

“I think,” Allura hesitated. Did they have enough evidence to mistrust the seemingly peaceful race? “I think we ought to keep a close eye on them.” Keith nodded solemnly.

They walked for a while in loaded silence. A silence loaded with questions and doubts. Even though Acceiil said the castle was close, there was no end to the Field of Life in sight. Only mist encircling the trees and the uncanny lack of light, even though the air above them was still filled with glowing lights.

It was Hunk who finally broke the silence.

“So.” He said, voice cutting through the air. “You never did finish your story about the Empress and gemstones and all. How does it end?”

“You’re right, I did not.” Acceiil smiled. “You see, it was clear that the gemstones were not ordinary. They held great power. Power to keep out enemies and provide for the land. Power to attack. They did what the people wanted. That is how our planet has been without poverty or war. The gemstones made sure of it. Many people prayed to them for personal goals. They became a religion.”

Allura walked closer to Acceiil to hear better.

“But then she came.” Acceiil’s expression turned blissful. “In a flash of light. She was a picture of true beauty. The stones rose from the ground and burned into her forehead as a crown. It was clear to everyone that she was meant to rule our land. The religious ones declared her a goddess. All that power formerly belonging to the people, now belonged to her. She was scared and confused. It was painfully obvious to anyone that she had gone through great troubles and trials. That was how she was born.”

In the horizon, the shadow of a great palace appeared, illuminated by what Allura assumed was more orbs.

“She was so young.” Acceiil shook their head. “Still is. It is not long since she came. Barely a year ago counting in earth time. But she is a kind ruler. She truly possesses all the qualities of the gemstones. Even though she was hurting from what happened in her previous life. The people fell for her. They were ready to demolish whoever or whatever hurt her. But she refused to talk. And after some time, people stopped asking.”

Allura felt silent, along with the others. She had always been aware of the great power this planet possessed. After all, there had to have been a reason for her father’s almost fearful relationship with them. And one thing was a planet having infinite power. In that case, it would take most of the people wishing it, for something to happen. But one person being able to utilize that power? That was much more dangerous.

“Here we are.” Acceiil stopped at the foot of the palace. “I cannot go further. Go forward, and you should find a guide waiting for you. Goodbye, it was truly an honor to meet you.”

Allura turned around, to ask why Acceiil could not follow the paladins, only to find that the snakelike creature was already gone. She turned to the paladins.

“Alright, I’m calling this,” Lance said. “This is probably a trap.”

“I think so too,” Keith agreed.

“Why are you always doubting- wait.” Lance turned to Keith, perplexed. “You agree with me?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, I do.” Keith looked at Shiro. “So, what’s the plan of attack?”

“I vote we go in, weapons ready,” Shiro said. “This may be a trap, but the only way to find out is to go in.” He smiled slightly. “Besides, do we have any other options?”

No one disagreed.

They went in. The castle seemed silent. Lance and Keith went in first, Allura last. Every time they passed a hallway, or opening in the walls, a paladin made sure to check it thoroughly, before waving the others ahead. None of them dared speak. Eventually, they came to an open hall with a grand staircase. They stopped. Everyone looked suspiciously around. The silence was broken by a loud shriek.

“EEEEEEE! You really are human! How exciting! And Alteans!” A small creature ran towards them. “Wowie! So cool! You look like real humans! Soft and squishy!” The creature giggled.

Allura looked closer at the creature. It was smaller than Acceiil and much less intimidating. It almost looked Altean. Dark skin and pointed ears were barely visible underneath a wild crown of flowers on top of an afro of hair. Big brown eyes looked happily at them, accompanied by a gap-toothed smile. Out of the creature’s chest, vines grew. They formed a short dress, ending in flowers like the ones on top of their head. The vines grew around the creature’s arms, legs, and feet. Together with the hastily flapping wings on their back, it all made the creature look childlike.

“Hi!” The creature said. “I’m going to be your guide while you are staying here. Isn’t it great!” They did a loop in the air. “You’re going to love it here. Are you staying overnight? We prepared rooms for you just in case. Do you want to meet the wolves? They don’t like anyone but the empress, but maybe they’ll like you anyways.” The creature’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Allura found herself smiling. 

“That all sounds very exciting.” She said. “My name is Allura, Princess of Altea. These are the paladins of Voltron, and my trusted advisor Coran.” The others waved.

“Oh my gosh!” The creature landed on the ground. “Hi. I’m Jenny. That’s a human name. I wish I was human.” They sighed.

The paladins exchanged looks.

“Well, the empress is expecting you. Come with me.” Jenny flew towards the staircase. They led the paladins and Alteans to a small room, chatting along all the way.

“We need to wait here.” Jenny flew around the room. “She’ll be here any minute. Don’t worry, she’s super nice.”

The door to the room opened and in came… two wolves?

They were great majestic creatures. One was pitch black with glowing green eyes, while the other one was white with cold blue eyes. They went on a round in the room before they settled along the wall.

The door opened again. Allura stood back. The Empress, her identity betrayed by the gemstones on her forehead walked in the room. She was human. Allura was sure of it. A human girl, no older than the paladins. Human. And a rather plain one of that. Allura had unintentionally been picturing a beauty beyond comprehension, based on Acceiil’s description. But this human was perfectly normal.

She had a round face with a heart shaped mouth and kind grey eyes. Her skin was pale but held a healthy glow. She was tall for a female human, Allura noticed. Brown hair was braided as a crown on her head. The only extraordinary thing about her was the gemstones on her forehead.

She walked timidly into the room and stopped suddenly. Her eyes widened and fixed on Shiro. He frowned in return and stared back at her.

“May I present,” Jenny flew forward, their excitement apparent, “The honorable, graceful, wondrous empress- “

“Eva?” Shiro cut them off.

Everyone looked at him in surprise. He stepped forward, a hand stretched out to the Empress. She didn’t move a muscle. Shiro reached her. He put his hand on her cheek. She watched him, eyes still wide, with an emotion Allura couldn’t quite identify. It was like time had frozen, everyone holding their breath.

Then without warning, it set in motion again.

The Empress stepped back from Shiro, all her gemstones glowing. She looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and something else. Allura suddenly recognized the look on her face. She was terrified.

Allura leaped towards Shiro, but too late. An invisible force slammed him towards the wall, effectively knocking him out. The wolves surged forwards cornering all of them in the small room. They were growling and snapping at Shiro. Behind them, Allura saw the empress casting one final look at Shiro, before fleeing the room. Shortly after the wolves followed her.

Allura and Keith reached Shiro at the same time.

“What the hell just happened?” Lance was gripping his Bayard looking first at Allura, then at Coran, before settling on Jenny. “I thought you said she wanted us here?”

“I don’t know,” Jenny said, their happy demeanor gone. They looked at them coolly. “But until we have it figured out, please leave our planet.”

“But-,“ Lance was cut off.

“Now.” Jenny turned to them eyes glowing orange. They no longer looked like a happy child. It was clear that they were very dangerous.

As they dragged Shiro through the Field of Life, back to their ship, Allura only had one thought.

What the hell happened?


	2. ii

Overall, this was probably not their weirdest experience in space. Lance was concluding that it really wasn’t. It was up there, sure, but not the weirdest one. A least he didn’t think so.

They were back on the castle. And frankly, everything was chaos. Shiro was in a pod. Keith was in the training room. Hunk and Pidge were analyzing an orb they somehow had managed to snatch from the planet’s surface. Allura and Coran were pulling out every single file they had on Ak’nul’vit. And Lance…

Lance was panicking.

They had met another human. In space. On a planet that shouldn’t have a human on it. And worse yet, Shiro seemed to know this human. Eva. Lance sighed and put his head in his hands. Why couldn’t anything ever be uncomplicated?

“Are you alright?”

Lance looked up. It was Keith. He stood looking uncomfortable a few meters away. Lance moved over, to make room for him to sit down. After a moment of hesitation, he sat down.

“Yeah, I’m just worried about this whole thing,” Lance said. “I just wish our life could be uncomplicated for once.”

Keith scoffed.

“Yeah me too.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Just want to catch a fucking break.”

Lance laughed.

“Yeah.”

They sat in silence for a while. Lance sneaked a glance at Keith. The mullet-haired boy was looking at him. He quickly looked away. He felt a blush sneak up on his neck. He leaned back.

“Do you know her?” He looked at Keith. “The Empress, Eva, I mean. You and Shiro were pretty close, so I figured if he knew her that you maybe…” He trailed off.

“No, I don’t.” Keith pulled out his knife and started fidgeting. “That’s what makes this so weird to me. I’ve never even heard Shiro mention an Eva.” Keith looked at Lance. “She was _scared_ of him, Lance. Like really scared. I saw her face.”

“I know.” Lance thought about the defensive behavior Eva had displayed. It had seemed like she expected Shiro to attack her at any given moment. She looked like she for a second forgot all her powers and reversed back into what she must have been like when Shiro knew her.

“Do you think…” Keith started. Lance looked at him. “Do you think Shiro… hurt her? In the past?” He looked at Lance, doubt and worry written clearly in his eyes. Before Lance could answer, the lights in the castle went off, signaling an incoming message.

“We better get going.” Keith got up and offered his hand to Lance. “Allura will be pissed if we’re not there to hear this message.” Lance smiled and took his hand.

Together they headed to the castle’s control room.

“What’s going on?” Lance asked the second they stepped into the room. Pidge and Hunk were already lounging in the sofas.

“An incoming message from Ak’nul’vit,” Allura said, her eyes fixed on the screen. Seconds later, Jenny’s face appeared on the screen. Lance was glad to see that their eyes no longer looked orange. That had nearly scared the life out of him.

“Princess. Paladins. Coran.” Jenny greeted. “We are terribly sorry about what happened today. We hope the black paladin is not hurt too badly.” Their voice seemed monotone like they were reading from a statement. “We regret to inform you, that as long as Shirogane is the paladin of the black lion, Ak’nul’vit will not join the Voltron alliance.” They glanced to the side. “However, we will gladly welcome any refugees you may come across as a result of the war. We have the resources to provide for them.” They lit up slightly. “We also extend an invitation to you all, sans the black paladin, to attend a party hosted at our palace tonight. It is a celebration for all our people. Should you choose to accept, we will have rooms prepared for you. The Empress sends her greetings, and hope you will attend.” Jenny leaned forward and turned off the communication device, not bothering to wait for their answer.

Everyone sat in stunned silence. So Shiro did really know the empress, and she knew him back. And she feared him, or hated him, enough to refuse to join the Voltron alliance based on him.

“We really should discuss this with Shiro,” Coran glanced at Allura, “but I do think attending the party could be an advantage. Although, I do not recommend staying for the night. Come straight back to the castle when the party ends.”

“I agree.” Allura nodded slowly. “It could be an advantage indeed.” She looked thoughtfully at the screen. “Yes. We need to attend.” She stood up. “If nothing else, to find out what caused the sudden attitude change. This planet seemed very open to joining our alliance. We need to find out if their change of heart is based purely upon the fact that Shiro is leading Voltron, or if there lies something else behind.” She looked at them. One after one, studying their faces. After a while, she nodded. “Lance, your mission is befriending the empress and casually interrogating her. The rest of us will probe at her subjects and servants to find out their true feelings about the empress.”

“Wait what?” Keith looked at Lance. “Are you really sure Lance is the most, uh… qualified person for this task?”

“Hey! I take offense to that.” Lance said. “For the record, I am a very charismatic person. And she’s human, so I could charm her pants off.” He turned to Allura. “But Keith does have a point. Why not you or Coran?”

“She’s human,” Allura said slowly as if talking to a child. “She’ll be more likely to trust a human than some strange aliens.”

“But still, why Lance?” Hunk asked. Lance looked at him in hurt. “I mean no offense buddy, but you can come off rather… forward?” Hunk’s voice slowly lost confidence as he talked.

“Trust me,” Allura said. “I have an excellent feeling about this. And I’m usually a very good judge of character. I think Lance is the best choice for the job. And that’s that.” Coran coughed. “What is it?”

“I don’t mean to interrupt princess, but I do believe Shiro will be out of the pod any minute now.”

“Very well then.” Allura started to walk. “Let’s go talk to him.”

The team followed her. Lance thought about what she had said. He had to befriend the Empress. Normally he would be excited. A relatively pretty girl? And a human one at that? It was right up his alley. Had the situation been different, he would have flirted badly with her to cheer her up. It had worked with Allura. But this was a girl that had knocked Shiro out cold after spending less than a minute in the same room as him. That probably wouldn’t happen to Lance, but still. It seemed like a too important task for him to handle alone. He really hated to agree with Keith, but he had a point. Lance wasn’t qualified for this. He couldn’t talk to a space empress, who had _wolves_ for bodyguards and infinite magical powers, it was too much for him.

Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead. He really hoped Shiro had an explanation for this. A simple one. If he did, maybe Allura would cancel this whole party mission. That would be nice. Just letting them enjoy a casual party instead of… whatever this was.

The team stopped in front of Shiro’s pod. He looked very serious, all still in there. They waited.

Lance had to give it to Shiro when the pod opened and he fell out, he did so much more gracefully than Lance. He stumbled a bit forward before doing a roll and regaining his balance. He waited a few seconds arms stretched out. He turned to them.

“What happened?”

Allura frowned.

“You don’t remember? About the Empress? You called her Eva?” She twisted her hands. Clearly, she didn’t like _Eva_. Lance didn’t know if it was because she knocked out Shiro, refused to join their alliance or… something else. Like the fact that Shiro had known her. And seemed very affectionate with her, in the few seconds before she reacted to him.

“I don’t remember anything.” Shiro shook his head. “The last thing I remember is going to some mysterious planet to get them to join the Voltron alliance. Ak’nul’vit. Yeah, that was the name.” He looked at Allura. “How long was I out for?”

“Not long,” the princess said, “but you seem to have lost a good chunk of your memory. We went to Ak’nul’vit. And we met with their ruler. You seemed to recognize her, and vice versa. You called her Eva?” She looked questioning at Shiro.

“Don’t know an Eva,” Shiro said. “The only Eva I’ve ever heard of is the one from the bible. Adam and Eva.”

“Really?” Keith stepped forward. “Because you really seemed to _know_ her.” He raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m sure,” Shiro said. “Never met anyone called Eva in my life.”

“What is going on?” Pidge said in frustration. “First we go to this creepy planet. Then I’m almost attacked for touching a tree. We go to a castle that might as well have been haunted, I mean we met _two_ people there. And it was a big place.” She ran her hands through her hair. “Then this crazy powerful human space empress knocks you out, and refuse our alliance so long as you’re a part of Voltron. And now you don’t even remember her? Something isn’t right.” Lance couldn’t have agreed more.

“I don’t know what is going on.” Allura’s eyes gleamed with rage. “It just makes finding out what is going on even more urgent. Lance,” she turned to the blue paladin, “do not screw this up.”

Lance gulped. Great. More pressure.

In defense of the empress, she really knew how to throw a party. The castle that earlier had seemed empty and haunted, was now filled with chatter, music, and laughter. There was a giant table with food. It held glowing orbs, mushy seaweed, chopped up gemstone, and, to Lance’s surprise, human food. Fruit salads, pies, and pasta. He wondered how they had gotten food in outer space.

“Are you all set?” Keith asked next to him. Lance gulped. That boy really knew how to rock a suit. “The com that Pidge gave you working alright?”  Lance looked at his chest. Pidge had made a recorder that would tape everything he and the Empress said to each other.

“Yeah, I think so.” Lance looked around. He spotted the empress in the corner of the room. She was flanked by her wolves. People were walking up to her smiling, and placing light touches on her hands and forehead. She greeted them all with kind smiles.

“I guess it’s show time.” Lance swallowed the drink, that had been handed to him by a mermaid-like creature. Keith laughed.

“Good luck.”

With one last smile at Keith, Lance made his way to the Empress. He was stopped by several creatures, wanting to know about Voltron, or earth, or just humans in general. He made polite conversation with all of them, meanwhile keeping an eye at the Empress at all time. Finally, he made it to her.

“Empress.” He bowed his head slightly. She turned to him. Her hair hung loosely around her face, with small braids peeking out here and there. She was wearing a simple strapless light pink dress. Her outfit was strikingly simple, especially considering the other dresses and costumes Lance had seen that evening. But it was all made up for with her gemstones. They shun dimly on her forehead, nothing like the bright light that had knocked Shiro out. They made her eyes glow. Lance couldn’t help but stare at her.

“Please,” she said with a smile, “call me Eva. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Blue paladin.”

“Please,” Lance smirked at her, mimicking her tone, “call me Lance. Or the love of your life, either is fine.”

She laughed. A nice clear laughter. After a few seconds, Lance joined her.

“Witty.” She crossed her arms. “That’s a good quality to have… Lance.”

“I do try my best.” Lance extended a hand to her. “May I have this dance, Eva?”

“Why not?”

Eva, as it turned out, was not a good dancer. She stepped on Lance’s toes several times and was completely out of tact. Lance tried his best to lead her but failed miserably. They both laughed every time they bumped into each other or another couple. Things got out of hand when Lance tried to dip her. He almost dropped her, and the two broke out in laughter. Lance noticed that they were attracting a lot of stares.

Over the shoulder of Eva, he made eye contact with Keith. The purple eyed boy was staring darkly at the dancing pair. Lance smirked and winked at him. He quickly looked away.

“Would you mayhaps like to get out of here? Away from people talking and staring at us?” Lance said as he offered his arm to Eva. She took it.

“Absolutely.” She glanced around the room. “But I’m afraid people will talk more if we leave.”

“We have to create a distraction.” Lance agreed.

“What if,” Eva’s eyes shun mischievously and her gemstones glowed just a little brighter, “There was a small explosion on the buffet table?”

Lance caught a flash of light and a loud bang from the direction he assumed was the buffet table. He felt the crowd around him shift toward it, to find out what had happened. He didn’t have much time to think about it, as Eva pulled him by the arm out in the hallway. Both were giggling unstoppable.

“Wow, I can’t believe you did that.” Lance looked back to the ballroom, out of breath.

“Yeah well,” Eva shrugged, “getting weird space superpowers does have its perks. Come on.” She took him by the hand. “I want to show you my favorite part of the castle. It should be abandoned now. I think everyone is still in the ballroom.”

She led him down the hallway, casting looks over her shoulder. They had to let each other’s hands go as they came to a staircase. Staircase was a generous term. It was more of a ladder spiraling up so high, Lance couldn’t see the end.

“Come on.” Eva started crawling.

They climbed for a long time. Lance was starting to think the staircase had no end when Eva stopped. She opened a door in the roof. Quickly she pulled herself up through it. A few seconds later, her hands came back down to pull Lance up.

“Here we are.”

Lance lost his breath. It was beautiful. They were standing on some sort of balcony. It was so high up, that all the glowing orbs floated beneath them. Above them, the sky stretched out filled with stars. Lance realized you must’ve not been able to see the stars from the planet’s surface because of the lights. He looked at Eva. She was staring at the sky.

“Wow,” Lance said.

“I know, right?” Eva’s voice was quiet. “It’s beautiful. You can see so far from up here. It’s the only place on Ak’nul’vit where you can see the sky. And the stars. Do you think one of these stars is our sun?”

“Maybe. I think we’re too far away though.” Lance’s eyes scanned the night sky. “I mean we would know if we could see the earth from here, right? They’d tell us.”

“I guess.” Eva sunk to the ground, leaning against the wall. “Where did you live on earth?”

“Cuba,” Lance said softly and sat down next to her. “A very small town.”

“What was it like there?”

“It was… like home. I had a big family. Seven older siblings.” Lance breathed out. “I was really the spoiled youngest child. All I had to do was bat my eyes and they all would have stopped the earth for me. Never gave me a break though. As I said – small town.” He laughed. “Really nothing ever happened there without some of them knowing. Whether it was me skipping school or going out with a girl. They always found out some way. God knows how.” Lance smiled fondly.

“It sounds nice.” Eva closed her eyes. “You must miss them a lot.”

“Yeah, I guess. I do.” She looked back at him. “You know what it’s like.”

“No, I don’t.” Lance whipped his head to stare at her. She sighed. “I didn’t have a family in the same way that you did. No one to miss.”

“What happened to you back on earth?” Lance asked. “I mean with Shiro and everything. It must’ve been pretty bad?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice sounded strange. She made eye contact with Lance. “I don’t even want to remember it.”

Lance stared into her eyes, mesmerized. Of course, she didn’t want to remember it. He didn’t really want to know either. It was all in the past. And who cared, when she looked so pretty sitting there under the starry sky. He moved closer to her. And closer. And he leaned forward just a bit. When she didn’t move away, he moved even closer. Finally, he closed the space between them.

It was like no kiss he’d ever had. All his senses became muddy and unclear. His hands moved to run through her hair. He could barely feel it, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that it was very soft. He couldn’t think. All his thoughts were blurring together. Something tugged at the corner of his brain something important. Something he needed to remember. He brushed it aside.

Eva was the one to break away from the kiss.

“I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” Her voice was shaking. “I need to go.” She turned around, disappearing through the door. Lance reached for her, but he only grasped air. His head hurt. He was slowly beginning to get his mind straight. She must’ve done something to his memory. Maybe to Shiro’s too. That would explain why he suddenly denied ever knowing someone named Eva.

Lance got up. They had to get to the bottom of this.


End file.
